


Lost

by DatoPotato



Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily (DCU), Memory Loss, Panic Attacks, whumptober2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26910787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DatoPotato/pseuds/DatoPotato
Summary: Duke makes a mistake that ends very badly.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963546
Kudos: 28
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Lost

**Author's Note:**

> For Whumptober 2020, Alt. 9, memory loss.

It was a stupid mistake. But a mistake nonetheless, and one that may have just ended a life. 

It was one guy. _One_ guy left, and Duke had made a rookie mistake. _Stupid_ , he chided himself, _so stupid_. He had knocked the guy down to deal with his friend who came at Duke with a knife, he thought the guy would be down longer and he _turned his back_. How could he be that monumentally dumb. 

He turned his back, wrestling the knife out of the thug’s hand, just a second too long.

“Signal!” Duke sent a well-aimed punch to the thug’s face and turned back around only to see Jason jumping in front of him, blocking his view. 

The shot was sudden and deafening, filling the alley and echoing into the night. At first, it didn’t even register what had happened. Not until Jason dropped to the ground in a heap. Duke threw his eskrima stick at the man still aiming his pistol, hitting his forehead with a solid _thunk_. 

Duke’s pulse was racing as he simply stared down at his feet where Jason lay, not moving. 

“Jason?” His voice was barely even a whisper, so much so that even if Jason were conscious, he wouldn’t have heard it.

Carefully, Duke stepped around Jason, as if one wrong step and he’d vanish completely. 

“Jason?” He tried again, this time louder. Still, he didn’t get any response. His heart felt like it had dropped to the ground next to Jason as he scanned Jason for any injuries. Only one. A bullet hole. Just above the right eye of the helmet. 

Duke’s hands were shaking, he couldn’t really feel them at all, only sharp tingling sensations across his hands and up his arms. He slid two fingers onto Jason’s neck, checking for a pulse. Nothing. Would he have felt it if he had feeling in his hands? He didn’t know, he couldn’t think, his thoughts raced around in a frenzy. 

Duke removed Jason’s helmet with shaking hands. “Jason?” He repeated again, his voice cracking. 

Jason’s face remained still. Duke examined his face, a bruise was blooming just above his right eye and spreading it, where his helmet had stopped the bullet. Duke brought his ear to Jason’s mouth and breathed a sigh of relief that turned into a sob when he felt a light brush of warm air against his ear.

——————————

Duke called Bruce, attempting to explain what happened, his words rushing past his lips. Bruce came to get them both. Duke kept apologizing as Bruce looked over his second oldest. Duke could only imagine what was going through Bruce’s head seeing his son lifeless, again. 

Carefully, Bruce lifted Jason’s body up and got the three of them into the Batmobile and drove back to the cave. 

The whole way, Duke continued to mumble about how Jason jumped in front of him, how it was Duke’s fault, he hadn’t dealt with the guy and now Jason was _dying because of him_. Bruce was silent, he wasn’t how to console his son, focusing only on getting them back to the cave as fast as was safely possible. 

——————————

Duke paced around the cave. They had run all the tests they could on Jason but they all came back relatively fine, other than some head trauma and bruising, but nothing that wouldn’t heal. Duke’s whole body was exhausted, he felt that if he stopped moving even for a second, he’d drop to the ground. 

He had to at least make sure Jason was ok. It was his fault that Jason was laying on the exam table in the cave in the first place. He could probably get better care in a hospital but they all knew they couldn’t take Jason there. Alfred knew what he was doing, Duke knew that. He just needed to keep reminding himself that Alfred did indeed know what he was doing. 

Bruce and Alfred left to talk upstairs where Duke wouldn’t hear. Bruce had told Duke that he shouldn’t blame himself, that it wasn’t his fault but Duke just couldn’t believe him when Jason was still not moving. If Jason never woke up, what would everyone else say? Would the rest of the family feel the same way? Would Bruce still say that it’s ok, that he shouldn't blame himself?

Duke’s breathing was erratic as he stared at Jason’s body, eyes unfocused, his thoughts a whirlwind of unease and uncertainty. 

Movement caught Duke’s eye and immediately drew him out of his thoughts. His heart stopped along with his mind as Jason sat up, groaning as he did. Duke rushed over to him, relief flooding his being as he raced towards Jason.

“Jason!” He shouted unintentionally, “You’re ok, I’m so glad you’re ok, I was so worried, I thought you were never going to wake up and it’d be all my fault and everyone would blame me and--” Duke stopped rambling and searched Jason’s face. When Jason only stared at him, Duke took a horrified step back, “Jason?”

Jason looked around himself, “Yes?” His gaze landed back on Duke, analyzing him with a critical eye, “but who the hell are you?”


End file.
